Adelaide, Australia, 23 April 2004 – Foreign Affairs Secretary Delia Domingo Albert met today with Foreign Minister Alexander Downer to start her official visit to Australia, lifting the already strong partnership between the two countries to a new and higher level. 

A former Philippine Ambassador to Australia, Secretary Albert served as Dean of the Diplomatic Corps in Canberra during her tour of duty. Her current visit is regarded as a follow-up to the momentum generated by the state visit of Prime Minister John Howard to the Philippines in July 2003.

The Secretary’s visit also underlines the commitment and importance placed by the two countries on their bilateral relationship, which recognizes their full potential as partners – in trade, security, defense cooperation, and across a wide range of regional and international interests. 

“The Philippines and Australia share a common outlook on key regional and international economic and security issues. My meeting today with Foreign Minister Downer has reaffirmed our commitment to remain as ‘strategic partners’ for the peace, security, and development of the Asia Pacific region and in other areas of the world,” the Secretary said. She added that the visit “also demonstrated the continuing close consultations between our two countries as we chart the existing and new directions in our bilateral relations,” citing the
recent conclusion of agreements to cooperate in activities to counter terrorism.

In their meeting, the two Foreign Ministers reiterated the unwavering resolve of their respective governments to remain in Iraq and help the Iraqi people rebuild their country.

“The Philippines and Australia are determined to stay in Iraq and, together with our coalition partners, complete the difficult task of reconstructing the country to pave the way for the transfer of sovereign power to a new
representative Iraqi government by June,” Secretary Albert said. “The presence of the Philippine Humanitarian Contingent to Iraq will also help ensure the protection of some 4,000 Filipino nationals staying in the country,” she added.

Both countries agreed to exert efforts to ensure maximum implementation of their two bilateral agreements on cooperation against international terrorism and transnational crimes.

“We attach great importance on the Australian offer of expertise and support to our efforts to enhance the capability of our law enforcement agencies to detect and suppress terrorist threats and bring suspected terrorists to justice,” said the Secretary, who also welcomed Minister Downer’s offer to increase Australia’s
counter-terrorism assistance activities.

“The Philippines will benefit from an increase in an area of cooperation which will bolster our capabilities to prevent terrorist acts and occurrence of transnational crimes. We are appreciative of Australia’s continued technical and material support in our common fight to stamp out terrorism in all its forms. We also welcome the recent signing of a protocol agreement to help improve the Philippines’ counter-terrorism capability,” she said. 

On the issue of maritime security, Secretary Albert conveyed the interest of the Philippines to strengthen cooperation with Australia in an area of strategic importance to both countries. 

“The Philippines and Australia have recognized the need to intensify bilateral, regional and international cooperation in maritime security. In recognition of this, the Philippines recently hosted the 2nd ASEAN Regional Forum Intersessional Meeting (ISM) on Counter-Terrorism and Transnational Crime, which focused on transport security measures to counter these two threats,” she said. “This is a follow-up to an earlier initiative by the Philippines to enhance cooperation on maritime security in the APEC region,” said the Secretary.  

“Our cooperative partnership with Australia in this critical area is aimed at improving the capacity of our ports to implement new international security requirements and to bolster maritime surveillance to prevent the possibility of terrorist attacks on our ships and sea ports, which would cause enormous damage to our economies, and in terms of human lives and property,” the Secretary added.

Secretary Albert stated also that a critical objective of her visit is to impress upon the Australian government that the Arroyo administration’s programs and policies are primarily intended to achieve stability in the country, as well as to ensure economic progress, peace and order for the Filipino people. 

“I assured our Australian allies that we are addressing swiftly and decisively, within the parameters of our democratic framework and resources, the security threats of our country. Indeed, an important element of my discussions with Minister Downer centered on our sustained initiatives to meet these threats in a  comprehensive manner. The great progress we have made in waging peace with armed rebels who have shown their willingness to negotiate with the government and to dismantle their camps is a positive development in our effort to address their concerns on the current situation in the south,” Secretary Albert said. END.